GOING WELL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 November 1941, Page 5

GOING WELL

BRITISH OFFENSIVE IN NORTH AFRICA

MORE SUCCESSES IN LAND, SEA AND AIR OPERATIONS

RAPID THRUST NEW ZEALANDERS OCCUPY BARDIA Water Supply to Solium Cut MAIN FIGHTING IN PROGRESS SOUTH-EAST OF TOBRUK NAVY AND AIR FORCE HITTING ENEMY HARD ' I LONDON, November 23. AN OUTSTANDING DETAIL IN THE LATEST NEWS OF THE BRITISH OFFENSIVE IN THE WESTERN DESERT IS THAT NEW ZEALAND TROOPS, AFTER CAPTURING FORT CAPUZZO, PUSHED ON RAPIDLY WESTWARD, OCCUPIED BARDIA AND CUT THE WATER PIPELINE RUNNING FROM THAT PLACE TO SOLLUM, WHERE LARGE ENEMY ARMOURED FORCES ARE ENCIRCLED. A Cairo communique, issued tonight, states that the centre of gravity of the conflict now appears to be at a point 10 miles south-east of the Tobruk defences. The enemy holds a vital bottleneck link.' The battle continued last night and this morning and the enemy forces have been split up into four or five groups. The New Zealanders, after capturing Fort Capuzzo, pushed on and occupied the port of Bardia, which the enemy had abandoned, and cut the vital pipe line supplying water to the enemy forces at Solium. Indian troops are gradually extending the area of their pentration deep into the enemy’s defensive positions between Halfaya Pass and Sidi Omar. Many hundreds of prisoners, about half of them Germans, have been captured. An agency message gives the number of prisoners at 1,100. , Low-flying bomber aiid fighter attacks have inflicted much damage on enemy tanks, armoured fighting vehicles and motor transport. In all. operations we lost 13 aircraft. A number of enemy aircraft were destroyed or damaged.